Radamel Falcao has scored just four goals this season for Manchester United(Getty Images)

Radamel Falcao's mother Carmenza Zarate has come out in defence of her son, stating that the Colombian has not been treated properly by either his national team or Louis van Gaal over the past year.

The Manchester United striker, currently on loan from Monaco, has scored only four times in his 28 appearances for the club, which has earned him a lot of flak from the fans and media alike. His disappointing performance is unlikely to earn him a place in Louis van Gaal's plans for next season, leaving him with the option of moving back to France with the French giants.

The Dutchman has used the likes of James Wilson and Maroune Fellaini up top for the Red Devils ahead of the South American and is likely to keep him on the bench when the 20-time Champions face Arsenal in a crucial game at Old Trafford this weekend.

Falcao's mother, who has seen his son go through a harrowing period, after he was kept out of the world cup with an anterior cruciate ligament and underused at United, insists that the bad times will pass and the Colombian will prove his detractors wrong with a performance worthy of his billing in Europe.

"Not everything has been easy in Falcao's life. He had some difficult moments in his career. They slowed his progress and prevented him from participating in important competitions like the World Cup, or have confined him to the bench, like in Manchester," she said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

"I often remind him that after a test or a difficulty, blessings arrive. We hope for bigger and better things. God hasn't abandoned us and my son will become again what he has been, a goalscorer.

"Even if he's unhappy not to be in the starting XI, he has to accept the coach's decisions.

"It's not a normal situation given what he has experienced in his career, but it happens in football. If God shows him a new path, he'll leave Manchester.

"I believe what he (Van Gaal) does with Falcao is not personal because the same thing happens with Angel Di Maria and Robin Van Persie. It's his way of working, and you have to respect that.

"He (Falcao) has to prove results for the Manchester United executives, and we will see how he achieves that," she added.